Minneapolis-based author Sasha Warren will give a presentation on his new book Storming Bedlam: Madness, Utopia, and Revolt.

Storming Bedlam is a radical rereading of the history, theory, and practice of psychiatry that emphasizes the utopian origins of the psychiatric revolution and its roots in the political and economic revolutions of the 18th and 19th centuries. The book traces a double movement in the global development of mental health services from its origins through the 20th century: a radical current pushing totalizing and idealistic visions of care to their practical limits and a reactionary one content with managing or eliminating chronically idle surplus populations.

This presentation will be multimedia and will include a reading accompanied by slides and some short film clips. Afterwards, Sasha will answer audience questions and sign copies of the book.

Sasha Durakov Warren is a writer based in Minneapolis. His experiences within the psychiatric system and commitment to radical politics led him to cofound the group Hearing Voices Twin Cities, which provides an alternative social space for individuals to discuss often stigmatized extreme experiences and network with one-another. Following the George Floyd Uprising in 2020, he founded the project Of Unsound Mind to trace the histories of psychiatry, social work, and public health's connections to policing, prisons, and various disciplinary and managerial technologies. 

Content Warning: This event may include discussion of abuse, self-harm and suicide and violence.